1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adjustable splint. More particularly, this invention relates to an adjustable splint useful in treating impairments in body joints such as knees, elbows, wrists, fingers, backs and the like from flexion or extension contracture, weakness in the supporting musculature, or some other malady inhibiting the integrity of the body joint in accomplishing extension or flexion.
2. Prior Art
There are cases too numerous to mention wherein bedridden individuals have lost ambulation simply from developing a knee flexion contracture. The various causes of developing knee flexion contractures in this segment of the population is many fold. Very frequently, dissuse and neglect of an existing medical problem such as a stroke, fractures about the knee or vascular problems, just to mention a few, will result in the development of a knee flexion contracture. In addition, people having any type of knee surgery, especially medial menisectomies, open reduction and internal fixation of a fracture and ligamentous repairs, all enter into the possibility of developing a knee flexion contracture. There are also other injuries about the knee not requiring surgery which develop into knee flexion contractures. These injuries include meniscal tears, ligament tears (both partial and complete) and fractures about the knee which are reduced by close reduction. If these knee flexion contractures, whatever their cause, could be reduced, more than 50% of all bedridden patients having knee flexion contractures would gain tremendous progress toward gaining independence in ambulation.
People also develop extension contractures in the fingers, wrists, elbows, knees and other joints from many and various causes. Weakness, disuse, fractures, surgeries, traumatic injuries, illness and other causes have been known to cause loss of ability to flex the body joint otherwise known as an extension contracture. No device presently exists to reduce extension contractures by adjustable, quantifiable pressure as does the adjustable splint for flexion described herein.
Many splint devices and mechanisms have been designed to be influential at the knee either for support or for mobilizing the knee joint. Illustrative of such devices are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,055,359; 3,928,872; 3,785,372 and 3,799,159. However, all of these devices are not designed to reduce knee flexion or extension contractures or cannot be tolerated by the patient population for a long enough period to effectively reduce a contracture. Moreover, none of the devices offer a satisfactory means for adjusting the pressure exerted by the lateral struts of the splint devices.